Exactly so! We still do the same thing today to record a fish of a lifetime before placing it carefully back in the water, alive . Large pike usually give up after a brief but fierce fight with modern tackle with flexible but strong rods and geared reels, but with fairly basic Victorian gear it could well have taken a fair while to land. Although if one could steer the fish within reach of an experienced ghillie and his gaff, its all over in a flash.
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